The ‘relationship’: Council ponders life with lab

The question of how the county should relate to Los Alamos National Laboratory got an airing at Tuesday’s county council meeting.

Council chair Jim Hall called it a discussion subject. He said he didn’t expect a motion to come out of it, and he was right. Apart from a few expressions of agreement with the previous speaker, the subject inspired nearly as many opinions from the council and public as there were commentators.

Councilor Nona Bowman had requested an extended hearing two months earlier during a March 4 council debate. The issue at that time was a letter the council was about to submit to the Department of Energy in response to a plan to transform the nuclear weapons complex.

After last year’s turmoil during the budget process and signs that the laboratory’s future may be entering a choppy phase, Bowman thought a brief statement in the letter about the laboratory’s economic impact on the town was “too vague.”

Introducing the topic again Tuesday, she said she had been told by LANL employees who had raised concerns about “broadening the base” of the laboratory that they would not be able to speak to the council, because “they’re not supposed to talk to elected officials.”

If you subscribe to the newspaper, you receive FREE access to all the exclusive content of the web site! Simply register to receive uninterrupted access to our award-winning and in-depth local online content!

Renew Current or Past Subscription / Register for Online Subscription

If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Los Alamos Monitor, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.

Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.

Newspaper Acct. ID:
Street Address:	(exactly as it appears on the label)

If you are a subscriber and you do not know your account ID or don't have a copy of your newspaper available that shows the information on the address label you can click continue below to search for your account.

New Subscription/30 Day Free Trial Account

If you are new to the award winning Los Alamos Monitor and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.

ZIP Code:

Create a limited access account.
Register to participate in community forums, post on the community calendar, blog etc. This registration does not give you full access to read our award winning content, etc.

The Los Alamos Monitor | lacirculation@lamonitor.com | 505-662-4185
256 DP Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Office Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday